By Robin “Bird” Bradford
Edward (Ed) Welch Donahoo was affectionately known by many as “Coach Donahoo.” He positively impacted hundreds of lives through his many friendships, service in the church, coaching career and mentoring young people. He grew up playing sports like little league baseball, high school football, basketball, track and college football under Paul “Bear” Bryant and Bobby Bowden. He coached college and high school teams around the state of Alabama and went on to hold various roles with the Faulkner University and Alabama Christian Academy basketball programs. He passionately supported these programs, coaches, players, and administrations until he passed away on January 2, 2024. He was 82 years old.
Jim Sanderson coached Faulkner Men’s Basketball for a total of 25 years (1985-1989,1994-2015) and served as the Athletic Director during some of those years. He had this to say about Donahoo. “Coach Ed Donahoo was a great supporter of myself and the Faulkner Basketball program! He was a constant encouragement to our coaching staff and our young men. ‘Coach D,’ as we called him, was a breath of fresh air each and every day. Faulkner Men’s Basketball will not quite be the same without him.”
Aaron Greenwood was a member of the Faulkner Eagles Men’s Basketball team for four years (2005-2009) and is currently the Alabama Christian Academy Athletic Director. He shared his thoughts about Donahoo. “Coach Donahoo was a blessing not just to our basketball team but to the entire student body at Faulkner. He had an intensely competitive side of him, but he also understood the need to put his arm around you and encourage you. Practices were always extremely competitive, but he he always knew the right moment to make a joke or say something to ease any tension and refocus the team. On a personal level, he took my family under his wing. He would check with me every Sunday to see where I went to church. He would reach out during the week to simply share a scripture. This didn’t stop even after I left Faulkner. He continued to reach out to me and my family to check on us and encourage us.”
Scott Sanderson is in his tenth consecutive year as the Faulkner Men’s Basketball coach. He also coached one season in the 1980s. His thoughts on Donahoo are, “’Coach,’ as people called him, was a great and faithful man. He was one of the men’s basketball’s biggest supporters. He came to practice to watch and encourage our players pretty regularly. He would also come to my office and just sit down and talk, which I loved. He will be missed by our program for sure.”
